


The Alchemical Mandalorian: Analysis of Literary Alchemy and Symbolism

by The Corellian Pirate (Turhaya_Hundteth)



Series: The Literary Analysis Series [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alchemy, Analysis, Baby Yoda - Freeform, Beskar, Cultural Differences, Din Djarin - Freeform, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Literary Analysis, Literary Theory, Love, Mandalorian, Mando, Nigredo - Freeform, Relationship(s), Rubedo - Freeform, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Acceptance, Self-Destruction, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Sacrifice, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars References, albedo - Freeform, film analysis, literary alchemy, the mandalorian - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:02:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turhaya_Hundteth/pseuds/The%20Corellian%20Pirate
Summary: An analysis of the literary alchemy (and alchemical literature) in season 1 of The Mandalorian TV series. A break down of the episodes into the alchemical phases (nigredo, albedo and rubedo) and an exploration of the symbolism for each phase, as well as a look at what sort of transformative healing our hero Din Djarin really needs... Also a little rant about film making, and a defiant challenge to Jon Favreau to prove me wrong!Language warning.
Series: The Literary Analysis Series [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910779
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. The Gauntlet Thrown Down

I need to get this out of the way before Favreau and his cronies come in and smash all my theories and head canons this May 4th with their new docu-series.

It’s bad enough that all the season 2 and 3 speculation started smashing up my whimsical plot lines from [Beskar Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23610412/chapters/56659249), but the push forward for the next seasons of Mando without giving us adequate time to reflect on season 1 is doing it an enormous disservice.

And I’m not talking about waxing lyrical about the similarities to _Seven Samurais_ (shit people – we have ALL seen spaghetti westerns, and we can ALL use google – give it a fucking break! We get the movie references!).

I’m talking about a chance to discuss _The Mandalorian_ at a LITERARY ANALYSIS level.

The film industry really fucks itself right in the ass these days from the perspective of artistic merit, and modern film making is viewed as more product than art. Film schools will pump your head full of 1960’s black and white French film making and early Russian cinema, and tell you that this is _real art_ (if I ever have sit through _Battleship Potemkin_ again, I think I’ll cry).

The most recent you might get is Kubrick’s _The Shining_ , and then after that film making falls out of the text books (unless someone’s shoving Luc Besson in your face as a lesson of what not to do with jump cuts - and in my opinion they’re brilliant, so everyone can suck his French scrotum).

Look – I get it. We’ve turned cinema into a production commodity. Ever since Lucas smashed it with Star Wars in 1977, the merchandising machine went feral and the term “box office hit” started getting thrown around like a cheap hooker.

We’re now film consumers. Not audiences. Not film aficionados. Consumers. Mindless, ticket buying, toy hoarding consumers. Which is certainly nowhere near the level we need - “film _readers_ ”. Any time I see a movie review on YouTube it’s on the shallow level, and even ‘deeper analysis’ often doesn’t get down to really sticky symbolism and literary themes.

Due to the commodity economy, any film produced today needs to be held to a certain amount of cynical scrutiny. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s totally devoid of value. While I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the literary magic in current films is _accidental_ , it doesn’t mean that the magic isn’t there for us to discover.

I know personally that you can create work which has subtext, thematic weight, and transformative magic without even meaning to. [Read this author’s note](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23760127), and you’ll see how stupidly accidental it was for a ‘lowly Pirate’ to stumble into the murky weeds of literary alchemy.

Not that I’m shitting on Favreau and the Mando team, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say attempt at transformative alchemical symbolism was probably a complete fucking fluke. Years of absorbing other people’s story telling will no doubt codify some stuff into your brain by sheer force of repetition.

Sorry, Jon, but I’m betting twenty credits on the fact you have no idea it’s there yourself.

Happy for him to prove me wrong, but I’ve got a better chance of defeating Thanos than being contacted by Jon Favreau to tell me my theory is bullshit. So yeah, I’m throwing it down, dude. I reckon you’ve got nothing deliberate. Accident level: 100.

But… It’s there. There is no doubt the alchemy _is there_.

Not only is it there, but it is critical to transforming our hero. And his journey, his healing, and his enlightenment in love will be key to not only Din Djarin’s redemption, but to our own journey as readers of film.

As Tolkein would say, we need the power of “recovery” which is inherent in the great tales. That is, the ability to see our world through the perspective of another character, and in doing so achieving a redemption of our own.

If films are ever to stand with the great texts of our time, they need to lean into the hard themes, tackle the most real and painful aspects of humanity, and not shy away from the alchemical journey that can help heal us all.

If _The Mandalorian_ simply becomes the baby yoda show, I’m going to be pissed.

As it stands, it’s fucking brilliant, and I’ll not sit quietly by while someone fucks with the greatest Star Wars franchise we’ve ever seen – especially not when they got off to such a phenomenal start.


	2. The Ecstasy of Beskar

The Mandalorian is a story about a child – but _which_ child?

While everyone is obsessing about baby yoda, I’ve written the adorable little green squirt off as unimportant. I can hear the meme makers crying in anguish as we speak, but the truth is that the little Womp Rat is just a plot device.

Lord of the Rings is not about the journey of the One Ring – it’s Frodo’s journey. I’m not talking about him dragging his ass all the way to Mount Doom either. I’m talking about the internal journey. In the poor Hobbit’s case, he never found his peace and resolution until his ‘death’ when he left the Grey Haven.

In the same way, baby yoda has all the power and mystique, but it is the ‘ordinary’ man (faceless / nameless man) who is the centre of the story, and it is therefore HIS journey.

Whatever our hopes and dreams for this franchise, my personal hope _isn’t_ to find out baby yoda’s name.

Why? Because it doesn’t fucking matter.

What matters is whether Din Djarin find his peace. If his past pain is healed. If his future is assured. If he ever finds happiness. Can Din make peace with his own childhood? Will he ever touch his own inner child again, and in doing so, find love for his own soul?

Because if the poor bastard ends up like Frodo, and not Samwise, _my soul_ will cry.

That sorry jerk has the weight of the galaxy pressing down on him. We’ve all felt that way at times, this sad old Dog included. But I have recently learnt that you have two choices when you feel the weight of the world – cry about the enormous burden you’re carrying…

…or start pushing out reps like a motherfucker.

Taika Waititi gave us a very clear reminder in episode 8 (aptly named ‘The Redemption’) that this is most definitely Din Djarin’s story and his reconciliation of past and childhood. Din Djarin is the child – the abandoned, lonely child whose emotional growth in many ways died with his parents.

When IG-11 removes his helmet, the ‘child’s melody’ from the main theme plays. Fittingly, Din is just as vulnerable as a child in that moment.

The amount of human moments the man has missed out on since swearing to the Creed is unfathomable for most of us.

Ironically, this stint we are having in isolation from COVID highlights just how important direct human contact is for our mental health. We think skyping sucks now, but Din Djarin never gets to speak to anyone without technical intervention.

He never gets to feel a kiss on his lips, or the touch of someone’s hand on his face. No one will ever wipe his tears away for him, hold his head back while he vomits, or cool his fevered brow. He can’t dine with friends, give someone a knowing wink, or even raise a sceptical eyebrow at anyone.

But what will happen to him if he does ever find love?

I have a working theory that (in the matter of love) the ironically perfect woman for the Mando would be the one who tells him to walk away. The one who doesn’t ask him to hang up his helmet, and who respects his work. Someone who will _let him die a warrior’s death_ rather than take off the beskar, much in the same fashion as Yoda expects this from Luke in _The Empire Strikes Back_.

**Luke** : And sacrifice Han and Leia?

 **Yoda** : If you honour what they fight for, **yes.**

Even the tiny Jedi Master knows it – love sometimes seems ruthless and cruel.

If Din Djarin did somehow manage to stumble across this ideal scenario, the initial contact would be like an exceedingly hot bath on a very cold night. Although you know that eventually you will feel warm and lovely, the initial sensation of the heat on your cold flesh causes outright pain.

But if I’ve learnt anything from Harry Potter (and life in general) it is that love is the greatest Force there is. The tone has been set by the formation of a family in the Mudhorn Clan of Two. However, if the hero finds real love, it will not be with the Baby McGuffin, but with himself.

When a soul is broken, and when that soul cannot find love in themselves, it often does take the love of another empathic human to start that healing process. And if anyone deserves an alchemically transformative journey, it’s that poor, damaged bastard, Din Djarin.

However, we find ourselves at a cross-road, because as most story tellers would see it (as they insultingly alluded to in Episode 4) that requires the Mando hanging up the helmet and having to choose between his fundamental core values and the human experience of love.

Which is utter bullshit. Because when someone really loves you, they want you to be exactly who you are and will respect your Way. I also think it’s bullshit that our Mando, who has been through so much, is forced into such a heartless ultimatum – perpetual loneliness, or a loss of self.

I honestly don’t think it’s that challenging to find someone who would accept Din’s Way. The real challenge is whether Din will allow himself to embrace that happiness, when he is seemingly caught in the “Mando’s Dilemma”.


	3. The Mando's Dilemma

I’ve always been fascinated by the scene with the Mudhorn, and not because of the miraculous feat of the child, but because of Din Djarin’s choices.

It’s probably my favourite scene in the whole season (well, seeing Pedro Pascal’s face in episode 8 was glorious, but not for the same reasons…). The way it is lit, scored, shot – it’s beautiful.

But nothing is more beautiful than the sight of Din Djarin making his last stand with the blade.

Bravery. Beauty.

But why?

What was he hoping to get from sacrificing himself? If he really wanted the baby safe, he could have left it with Kuiil. If he cared about the baby, he wouldn’t have handed it over later to the Imps. To get his ship back? What’s the point of a working ship, if you’re not around to fly it? And I don’t care how much the beskar is worth, is it worth your life?

The warrior’s death is admirable, but considering he could have retreated and regrouped it was a remarkably stupid decision. Granted, the Mando makes a lot of dumb decisions throughout the entire season (for example – why not cripple the Sandcrawler first before making a move on the Jawas? Idiot.) For a lauded bounty hunter, he makes some dumb-ass plays.

But the Mudhorn incident seems particularly stupid and poorly thought out, considering he no doubt knew what he was going to face (does no one research anything anymore or ask questions at the least? “Oh, you want an egg – what kind of egg? One from a rampaging, nesting beast? Yeah, no worries, mate.”). It’s almost suicidal to the point of outright reckless self-destructiveness.

It’s as though Din needs to move directly forward, almost blindly, or he has no idea what to do with himself.

Karga’s suggestion that he take a break is not well received. I think that this because the Mando knows nothing but how to hunt, and desires nothing else. As Hemmingway said:

_“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”_

This is the Mando’s Dilemma.

He will forever be a hunter. He will forever be a Mando. But can he reconcile this side of himself with the human part of him which has been neglected for so long? Can he find love in his heart, and in doing so find a reason to live, and not just causes to die for?

It is a curious thing that there are things and people in this world that we feel are worth dying for. But anything that is _really_ worth dying for is normally the very thing that gives meaning to your life and motivates you to stay alive.

This is exactly why Din Djarin needs a transformation. Because now, as the father of a foundling baby yoda, he has something to live for. He’d better learn how. He’d better learn fast. But after so many years of being stuck physically and emotionally under a bucket, will he be able to rise to the challenge? Can he love?

Which leads to the alchemy, which we’ll look at next...

For anyone interested in literary alchemy (and if you are, you need to [read John Granger’s work](https://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/)) you will know there are three parts to the alchemical process.

  * The ‘black phase’ (nigredo), or the breaking down of the base matter. For a character, this is where they face their personal crisis or test of faith.
  * The ‘white phase’ (albedo) or the purification. This is where our character starts the process of redeeming themselves through enlightenment or the accepting of certain truths.
  * Lastly the ‘red phase’ (rubedo) where the philosopher’s stone is ‘reborn’ like a phoenix.



The Mandalorian Season 1 is an alchemical journey. Split: 1-3 black, 4-6 white, 7-8 red.

The next three chapters will look at each of these stages...


	4. The Nigredo of Destruction

_**Nigredo (The Mandalorian - The Child - The Sin)** _

Going into the first phase, we need to acknowledge _what_ exactly it is in Din Djarin which needs breaking down.

This man, in the very first episode, makes a business deal with the very people responsible for the demise of the Mando's - the Imps. The willingness to sell out his own values is telling. Paz later calls him out on his business ethics in the covert tunnels. But far less concerning than a slight against the Mandalore, is the insult to his own soul. He has hardened himself to the point where he is not only willing to deal with the Empire but risk his relationships within his own covert.

Din Djarin needs to rid himself of the denial and lies he has told himself, his dishonesty, his issues from his childhood and past, and everything else which impedes him from genuine emotional connection. The biggest lie he has told himself is that he needs no one else in his life. He tells himself he does not seek connection. He tells himself he does not need love.

Which is all a total sack of Dewback shit.

The thematic clues sit in the episode names - _The Mandalorian, The Child_ (remember the child is the Mando himself), and _The Sin._ This is about Mando shedding his past and his past sins.

Symbolically, we're looking for darkness, dirt, destruction, breaking things and anything to do with toads...

But what exactly do we see break down in the first three Mando episodes when Din has his nigredo? Are you surprised when it comes to matters of the heart, that what is destroyed is relationships?

Din Djarin pretty much destroys every single alliance that he has, even with himself. This is his breakdown.

He betrays the Imps, falls out with the Guild, and even falls out with his own covert. Although the covert ultimately assists him to escape, it will eventually cost them their lives now they are exposed. We also see flash backs to his childhood where his family and people are destroyed (but at this stage., we do not see his rescue, only destruction of his home).

He also betrays the child who saved his life, turning him over to the Empire. Although he has an obligation under the fourth action of the Resol’nare to earn for his tribe, he still must have felt like a total Judas in that moment - expressed when he “uncharacteristically” questions the client about his plans (for more on the Resol’nare and it’s application to season 1, read ‘Life Through a T-Shaped Lens’ which is part of this analysis series).

Critically, he betrays himself. By aligning himself with the Empire. By handing over the kid when he knows it’s wrong. By accepting the blood money in the form of beskar. Not least of all, he betrays his own will to live when he stares down the Mudhorn. It’s not so much a fall from grace, but a plummet at terminal velocity. When the child attempts to heal his wounded arm by the campfire, we see him refuse healing.

Physically, Din continually _falls_ – not just from grace, but physically from the Blurrg, from the Sandcrawler, and repeatedly with the Mudhorn.

There is also destruction - In the first episode IG-11’s insistence on self-destruction (because the droid cannot see any other way out of the situation) echoes Din Djarin’s self-destructive tendencies when he too cannot see an alternative course of action. In the second episode, we see his ship stripped. His armour is compromised. His rifle jams. In the third, he destroys the Imp hideout.

Visually we see other cues. When we are in the nigredo we look for anything representing darkness, blackness, or destruction.

Dirt – Lots of dirt. Mud. Symbolic of the destruction of the base matter of the soul. Din’s armour at this point is coloured brown.

Darkness - Underground covert tunnels. Nevarro itself is a volcanic planet with a black surface. The faces of the Jawas which are so hidden that all we can see is their glowing eyes in the dark. The darkness of the Mudhorn cavern.

The Toad - The egg is devoured by Jawas, but in an ultimate act of alchemical symbolism, the child devours a toad. In alchemy, the black toad is a direct symbol for the nigredo stage. The toad represents our earthly being, and the breaking down (putrefaction) of the matter into a black, pulsing mass.

To translate that into modern speak, this is where our hero turns into a hot mess.


	5. The Albedo of Purification

_**Albedo (The Sanctuary - The Gunslinger - The Prisoner)** _

So Din’s crashed and burned, and his assumptions have been challenged. He has performed the noble act at the end of the nigredo in rescuing the child and is now totally alone.

In the episode names, again we see clues. The white phase is about our gunslinger questioning his purpose and life as a bounty hunter. But he is still a prisoner of his past, although he is now seeking sanctuary for his soul.

Most of these three episodes is him trying to absolve himself from his past and move forward with the child, which although not mandated yet by his covert, he accepts as his duty. In ep 4, Din truly accepts his commitment to the kid (he tries to leave him behind, to which Dune tells him it will break his heart, but the appearance of the other bounty hunter reminds him of that duty).

This is where he rediscovers himself and his purpose.

Now that Din Djarin has broken down, it is time to wash away those parts of him and his past which no longer serve his higher self. This purification can only be achieved by opening his heart to others, and by allowing other people into his world and taking the first tentative steps in engaging in love with other people. He slowly starts his cleansing.

The Mando by now is trying to spare lives, and while he kills Ran and Xi’an’s brother, he lets Xi’an, Burg and Mayfeld live (hooray for Mayfeld!) and tries to save the Republic prison guard. He severs ties with his past and leaves behind those who no longer serve his true purpose.

Birds are normally the symbols for this alchemical phase, and while there are no direct bird references, I wonder what you think of the Razor Crest itself being representative of a bird? Episodes 5 and 6 in particular look at the state the Razor Crest is in and it's ability to fly.

This time, for visual cues, we’re looking for anything white, and things that cleanse like light and water. Women (for a male hero) represent the chemical wedding (or the ‘unity of opposites’) which needs to occur before the final stage of the alchemical work, and so women in this context also represents this phase.

Women - Women play a key role in his purification, which symbolically aligns with the albedo, and the theme of love. His alliance with Cara Dune, and his interactions with Omera and Winta play out in episode 4. Pelli Motto scolds him over the care of the child (and his ship - and ships are always "she") and proves a useful ally (after he takes a bounty job to pursue another woman)... And then there’s that curious little “what happened between those two?” scenario played out with Xi’an.

Water – Episode 4 takes place on a krill farm. Do I need to go on?... On Sorgun, the child does not devour the toad, because the Mando has now connected. Instead, baby yoda (surrounded by other children) spits out the toad and allows it freedom to return to the water.

Light - His armour is now light, bright and beskar. In episode 5, he uses white light as a weapon twice to 'blind' his enemies. Episode 6 takes place largely in the belly of a stark white prison ship. Breaking free from a prison (where one atones for their past crimes) is also symbolic

To translate again into more modern terms, this is where our hero 'comes clean' to himself about who he really is.


	6. The Rubedo of Redemption

_**Rubedo (The Reckoning - The Redemption)** _

The names for these episodes are clear and speak to the re-birth and awakening. This is the final stage of the alchemical work where a person is reborn, and the philosopher’s stone is made.

In this stage, Din Djarin’s salvation comes not at his own hand, but from his ability to bond with and love others. In these episodes, Din Djarin pretty much accomplishes nothing on his own, except for killing a couple of Imps and getting himself.

The only exception is when he uses the _Rising Phoenix_ technique to single handled take down Gideon’s TIE fighter. Can you guess what the animal symbol for this stage is? If you guessed phoenix, you win twenty credits!

The themes and symbols we look for in the rubedo are redness, fire, rebirth, blood, sacrifice, salvation and redemption.

Let’s look at all the redemption, sacrifice and salvation going on.

Baby yoda saves Karga, and a result Karga is redeemed and saves the others from his own guild members. IG-11 saves baby yoda from Imps, saves them all from being pinned down by Gideon, saves Din’s life, and again saves them all through self-sacrifice (as opposed to self-destruction).

The Armourer rebirths Din as the Mudhorn Clan of Two, giving Djarin a true family and purpose. She bestows on him his ability to become the phoenix (his jetpack) and allows him to replenish his weapons. She is seen recycling (rebirthing) the dura steel armour of the fallen covert.

And you can’t get any more symbolic of re-birth than travelling down a dark, hot tunnel of lava into the light outside. Moreover, we finally complete the flashback vision to Din’s past and it is finally reconciled when we see his rescue via ‘the phoenix technique’. An act he echoes at the end with baby yoda.

Din Djarin himself is willing to lay down his own life to cover the group’s escape (a more literal representation of self-sacrifice and resurrection we couldn’t have asked for!). Baby yoda meanwhile saves them from the all consuming fire.

Speaking of fire symbolism, if the dragon attack by the campfire on a lava planet wasn’t enough, you can add to that the baby yoda scene noted above, IG-11's big explosive exit, and the return to the covert forge.

However, the biggest shift we see is in Din Djarin’s heart. Cara is a trusted ally and friend. Karaga and Din resolve their differences. Kuiil is laid to rest with the respect befitting a true friend. He even feels bad for a droid... Din Djairin leaves Karga and Dune with a new commitment to his new family.

It is this commitment – to truly live his Creed – which marks the end of Din Djarin’s transformation.

Remember that the during the nigredo….

_‘Din Djarin needs to rid himself of the denial and lies he has told himself, his dishonesty, his issues from his childhood and past, and everything else which impedes him from genuine emotional connection. The biggest lie he has told himself is that he needs no one else in his life. He tells himself he does not seek connection. He tells himself he does not need love.’_

I think, considering where he started, Din Djarin (at least in the matters of self and heart) has indeed been reborn.

My sincerest hope is that Din Djarin continues to heal and be reborn in ways that are as powerful and transformative as they were in season 1. Not only because I have a huge literary crush on the Mando, and want him to continue to walk into the sunset and hunt forever, but because of far more important reasons....

**US. YOU. ME. EVERYONE** \- the 'readers' of the art.

Because really, the essential alchemical transformation in a modern epic such as _The Mandalorian_ is not about the characters at all. Its about all of us, and how the power of story telling can transform our real world lives for the better.

** THIS IS THE WAY. **

***

**Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please hit the kudos button below to let me know.**


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